Silvester D’Souza

Daijiworld Media Network – Kundapur (EP)

Kundapur, Jul 17: Villagers in four villages, here, under the leadership of various local organizations on Saturday staged protests opposing the declaration of Halageri survey no 166/P1 Govinagudda at Kambadkone gram panchayat limits, here, as an industrial area.

The villagers belonging to Halageri, Thenkabettu, Gummithota and Kambadakone walked in protest from near Halageri temple and gathered for an ‘Aranya Ulisi’ campaign in front of the Kambadkone gram panchayat. They said that the plan to declare it as an industrial area without informing the local people and discussing the pros and cons is anti-people. They claimed that several acre of forests will be destroyed by the move. They shouted slogans asking to protect the forests and allow the people to live. Villagers Venkappa Shetty, Rajendra Ganiga, Subbanna Shetty and others addressed the protesters.

A memorandum was submitted to the gram panchayat president and PDO in this connection. Kambadkone gram panchayat president Sukhesh Shetty, member Rajesh Devadiga, PDO Poornima and village accountant Hanumantha received the memorandum.

Vanadurga Raithashakthi group deputy convener Ramakrishna Karanth, Kokkeshwara Sangha Halageri president Shanker Devadiga, members Rajendra Ganiga, Pravin Shetty, Gangadhar Devadiga, Sathish Poojary, Nagendra Ganiga, members of Basaveshwara Bhajana Mandira, Kalabhairava Seva Sangha Thenkabettu, Halageri Muslim community, Dalit Sangharsha Samithi Byndoor and Stree Shakthi Dharmastala rural development took part in the protests.